In certain applications, it is desirable to have a shaft which may selectively rotate and/or reciprocate. Such an application, for example, is in the robotic picking and placing of components where it may be required to axially move a component to an insertion position and then rotate the component to screw it in place. Conventional motor arrangements to accomplish such motion are often complicated and heavy, a substantial disadvantage for robotics applications. Another type of application requiring a shaft which may selectively rotate and/or reciprocate is in the precise control of laparoscopic and other such medical instruments.
In either type of application, it is frequently required that the linear motion be locked while rotary motion takes place. For a rotary/linear motor, this makes it desirable that the linear and rotary motions be controllable independently of one another.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an electromagnetic device which selectively provides both linear and/or rotary motion at a single output shaft.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide such an electromagnetic device in which linear and rotary motions are controllable independently of one another.
It is another object of the invention to provide such an electromagnetic device in which linear motion can be locked while rotary motion is provided.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such an electromagnetic device that is simple and economical to manufacture.
An additional object of the invention is to provide such an electromagnetic device that is lightweight and compact.
Other objects of the present invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated in, or be apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.